Briefings and Reports

APPG on Migration Roundtable, 23rd Jan 2013 – February 2013

This is a short report on the APPG on Migration roundtable discussion under the theme ‘Immigration across the UK: how do we ensure that no-one is left behind?’, on 23rd January 2013 in the House of Commons.

Here you can find a short summary of our IMD 2012 event held on Dec 18 at Scottish Parliament as well as a short report on the preceding Members Business Debate on a motion International Migrants’ Day put forward by Christina McKelvie MSP.

Call for Evidence by Migration Advisory Council Briefing Summary – July 2012

On 27 April 2012 the Minister for Immigration wrote to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) asking that the MAC update the list of occupations that qualify for Tier 2 of the Points Based System (PBS) and undertake a review of the codes of practice used under Tier 2. This Call for Evidence is being issued to gather views and evidence from corporate partners (all parties with an interest in the MAC’s commission, both private and public sector employers, trade unions, representative bodies and private individuals) to help the MAC respond to the Government’s questions.

1st Cross-Sector Roundtable on Impacts of Immigration Policies on Scotland: Summary of discussion – March 2012

Migrants’ Rights

Scotland held a Cross-sector Roundtable on 5 March to consider and discuss how current UK immigration policies affect Scotland and how all our interests and concerns can make a difference in Scotland. The roundtable brought together 40 representatives from business, education, private, public and civil society organisations, as well as migrants and members of the Scottish Parliament. This paper provides a summary of the roundtable discussions, including participants’ suggestions of ways forward.

Since May 2010, the current UK government has made/announced substantial changes to the Points Based System (PBS) across all immigration routes with reference to the government’s stated objective of reducing net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’ per annum by 2015. This paper provides an overview of some of the key changes/proposals as well as other relevant developments.

This briefing paper looks at Scotland’s devolved political structure which has created a specific policy context that activists need to understand when wanting to get engaged with and influence policy areas that affect migrants in Scotland. The briefing deals with the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Local Government and other relevant public sector bodies and non-departmental public bodies. The paper was prepared jointly by CRER and Migrants’ Rights Scotland.

Migrants’ Rights Scotland objects to the vast majority of the government’s proposed changes relating to family migration, especially as the government seeks to use the prevention of ‘sham’ and ‘forced marriages’ to justify drastic measures that would cause significant hardship on a wide range of persons, British citizens, settled migrants and non-EU nationals alike, who wish to live in the UK together with their partners, children, or parents.

We are highly alarmed by the way in which the government incriminates and stirs up suspicion of people who have established perfectly genuine relationships; and the way in which the consultation seeks to win the public’s approval for interfering with what is a universal human right, the right to a private and family life. At the same time, the government completely fails to evidence how the proposed changes would be conducive to integration or would reduce “burdens on the taxpayer”. As many questions in the consultation are misleading and give an inaccurate impression of existing rules, human rights, UK and EU law, we feel very strongly that it is disingenuous of the government to collude with certain sections of the media in misinforming the public about the rights of individuals and, more specifically the rights of migrants in British society.

Migrants’ Rights Scotland is highly concerned about the planned changes to immigration rules, in particular to deny the vast majority of non-EU migrants on work-related visas the option to apply for settlement in the UK as well as to remove/restrict many migrants’ rights to work and to a family life in the UK. We object to the government’s narrow focus on those it considers the “brightest and the best”, while curtailing the rights and interests of migrants coming under Tier 2, Tier 5 and the domestic worker visa route; instead of moving further towards reducing these migrants to a commodity of labour which can be flexibly utilized, ‘imported’ and ‘exported’ without considering individuals’ rights as human beings and UK workers, all migrants should be valued for the critical contributions they make. With regard to migrant domestic workers, more specifically, the proposed changes are likely to increase the risk of trafficking and other abuses including forced labour and exploitation, which we consider unacceptable.

Overall, we think the UKBA proposals within this consultation would create substantially more insecurities for migrants wishing to come to the UK and as they progress through the system. Not only would many migrants find themselves made more vulnerable during their lives here as a result of the proposed changes, but the government also risks depriving the UK and communities across the country of valuable skills, expertise and energy as well as options for positively addressing varying short- and long term needs.

This event (30th March 2011 @ STUC Glasgow) brought together migrants, their community groups and supporting organisations in Scotland to learn more about what we mean by migrants rights and how a rights-based approach offers powerful tools that we can use to bring about positive change; to share inspiration and new meaning for the work organisations do in support of migrants; and to facilitate the development of joint action across groups and areas.

Joint Submission to the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities – February 2011

Migrants’ Rights Scotland teamed up with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights and the Black Leadership Network to produce this joint submission. The submission was followed up in a meeting with the Council of Europe Advisory Committee during their visit in Scotland on March 8 in Edinburgh.

This report provides an overview about recent migration in Scotland and highlights the specific Scottish policy context as well as employment issues faced by migrants. The report was prepared by Dr Sarah Kyambi for Migrants’ Rights Scotland.

Submission to Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee Inquiry into Migration and Trafficking in Scotland- April 2010

Migrants’ Rights Scotland conducted round-table talks and snap consultations with migrants from across Scotland to inform its response to the Scottish Parliament Inquiry on Migration and Trafficking in Scotland.

Based at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, the Migration Observatory provides independent, authoritative, evidence-based analysis of data on migration and migrants in the UK, to inform media, public and policy debates, and to generate high quality research on international migration and public policy issues.

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